Italian journalist killed in Gaza

Associated Press videographer Simone Camilli and at least four others were killed when a bomb a team was trying to move exploded.

By

Gabrielle Levy

A Palestinian man walks past a destroyed apartment building during a cease-fire between Gaza and Israel, in the town of Beit Lahiya, northern Gaza Strip, August 12, 2014. UPI/Ismael Mohamad | License Photo

Palestinian men inspect their house after a hit by an Israeli military strike in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on August 10, 2014. UPI/Ismael Mohamad | License Photo

Palestinians remove debris from the wreckage of a car after a nearby house was hit by an Israeli military strike in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on August 10, 2014. UPI/Ismael Mohamad | License Photo

BEIT LAHIYA, Gaza, Aug. 13 (UPI) -- An Italian journalist became the first member of the the foreign media killed in the Gaza conflict Wednesday when a bomb disposal crew failed to dismantle unexploded Israeli ordnance.

Simone Camilli, 35, was a video journalist who had been with the Associated Press since 2005. Also killed were his Palestinian translator, Ali Shehda Abu Afash, the head of the bomb squad, Taysir Al Houm, and two Gaza police officers, the AP said.

Four others, including AP photographer Hatem Moussa, were badly injured.

The explosion occurred when a bomb disposal crew attempted to move unexploded munitions in the town of Beit Lahiya, a scene of fierce fighting between Israelis and Hamas in the northern Gaza Strip during the month-long conflict.

A three-day cease-fire, which went into effect Monday, has given Gazans an opportunity to rebuild and search for live ordnance like that which exploded Wednesday.

The cease-fire is scheduled to end at midnight Wednesday (6 p.m. EDT) if an agreement isn't reached during ongoing negotiations in Cairo.